CATCHING UP » THE FOYER

Does this look like a problem to you?

I mean, you can see across the street in that reflection! Sigh, that is some serious draft taking place. And the first stop on my most-recent entryway to-do list. All the doors in our house were trimmed to accommodate the shag carpet, and sadly the front door was not spared. I don't mind it on the interior doors, I mean, whatever. But here it is a problem. I dream of replacing this door entirely, but for now, it needs a patch. I have ideas involving an extension, glued and screwed into place. There are TWO layers of rubber draft stoppers here, worthless.

When we first moved in, the entry was covered in shag and popcorn. If you have a moment, go ahead and relive the horror. Then I waxed poetic about wallpaper and light fixtures. That post cracks me up, mostly because our walls are old plaster and terribly bumpy and unlevel. Perfect for wallpaper right?

The very first thing I did after carpet and popcorn removal, and a thorough cleaning, was to whip up these privacy curtains. One for the door and one for the window. I don't know what I was thinking with that fabric choice, oh yes I do! It was cheap and had some green in it, go Ikea. But today, I absolutely hate it. The window doesn't need a curtain, it's up pretty high from the outside, and plain white will do just fine.

The doorknob is original and brass and I'm sort of in love with it. It's pedestrian in style, in a good way. Sadly, we don't even have a key and the knob itself is about to fall off. I might look into getting it repaired once we get a new door, you know, eventually. In the meantime, it is what it is. Wait? What? No key to the front door?! No need to fret our safety, our entry is also gracing one of those steel security doors that Oakland loves so much. Also, it does lock. By the way, how gross is this picture? Ugh. You can tell I've painted the trim but not the door itself. That need for paint is precisely what inspired this post. My goal for the week, to paint the door a shiny black. Mmm...

And while I'm at it, the mail slot is getting a coat of black too. And maybe some brass stickers that spell out L-E-T-T-E-R-S. Is that too cute? Like in a bad way? At first I hated this mail slot but it's grown on me. We've gotten to know our mail carrier now and he knows we are home and he can ring the bell instead of trying to shove oversized packages through that slot. Besides, I enjoy the sound it makes when it spills on the floor.

Upon entrance into our home, you are greeted by... our shoes. Our shoes which are displayed on a few Tadpoles playmat tiles I stole from Thora. A few tiles that cover up a nasty hole in our wood floor that used to be a furnace grate. There is a matching hole on the other side in the dining room. Obviously, new wood needs to be feathered in here and it will! But I'm saving all the floor projects in the house to be done in one fell swoop. Later, once we've saved up the cash and the time to be out of our house. I also need to fill in baseboard here, because of the old grate. For now, I faked it with paint. Know what I sort of wish, and if I was ever to remove an old furnace again, what I'd do? I'd keep the grates, at least until I finished the floor. They are charming and I could have painted them black too. Sadly, I donated them to recycling. Did the internet just gasp?

Argh. That's a good idea. Maybe Urban Ore has some laying around? Worth a looksie.

While we were having a lot of electrical work done in the basement and kitchen, I asked the electrician to install a couple fixtures upstairs. One is this pendant from Lowe's. HUGE improvement from the bare bulb we had hanging there. He also fixed the lightswitch, which had mysteriously stopped working. We still have knob and tube here, as in every room upstairs except the kitchen and bath. But I'm told that's not a hazard and we plan to update the rest of the electrical later.

There are a lot of laters in this post!

I also need to patch the ceiling around this fixture. Looks difficult and I could see putting a simple medallion there instead. Maybe one like this?

Here is the foyer as it sits today. I've painted the walls the same as the living room (Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter) and the trim (Benjamin Moore's Simply White in Satin). I scored a bench on craigslist that is the EXACT width of the window, then replaced it's hardware with these knobs from Schoolhouse Electric. The mirror in the corner is for Thora. My meager attempt at Montessori. She loves having this spot to check herself out so it stays for now. There is nothing but shoes on the wall opposite the door, something I hope to remedy with an open console and a couple oversized baskets. Maybe hang that mirror up after giving it a paint job.

Can I just say, I love having a formal foyer like this? The impulse around here, when renovating these old houses, seems to be to blow out all the walls for open-concept living. And although I see the value, if we had done that I think I would regret it. These are charming little houses just the way they are. It's traditional. I'm traditional. Anyway...

Foyer/Entryway To Do:

• Remove door, clean and patch, paint black (long term: replace door)
• Remove hinges, strip and paint oil-rubbed bronze
• Eliminate knob and tube
• Patch ceiling around light fixture, or medallion
• Replace glass in window, has a crack
• Patch and refinish floors
• Add hooks under window for bags and jackets
• Decorate: Console, rug, lamps, mirror/art, baskets,etc

Wish me luck. I hope to have that door painted by the end of the weekend!